Basic Literary Notes... Conflict, Plot and Characterization
Conflict: There are two main kinds of conflict: internal (things that take place inside) and external (things that take place outside). There are six types of conflicts. Please keep in mind that a work/piece of literature is not limited to one conflict. Man vs. Man --> thought of in most basic terms as good versus evil --> This conflict happens when two people, the protagonist (or main character/hero), and the antagonist (the bad guy or the person giving the hero a hard time), face off against each other. An example of this may be seen in the film Thor as he and Loki face off... or in the Spider Man films. It may also be seen with Luke and Vader in the old Star Wars films. Man vs. Nature --> This conflict happens when natural occurrences like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions pose problems for man... this includes animals like the big gator in Lake Placid or the tornado in Twister... this can also include illness. Man vs. Society --> This conflict happens when one person, or a small group or people, is standing against a larger group... think Freak the Mighty or The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. Man vs. Technology --> This conflict occurs when something that was created by man poses a problem (remember that technology may be as simple as a latch or a zipper and as advanced as a super computer)... think about movies likeThe Matrix or The Terminator. Man vs. Himself --> This conflict occurs when a person is struggling with an internal decision --> think about films like... Maleficent and Brave. Man vs. Supernatural --> This conflict occurs when man has to face aliens, miracles, ghosts, monsters, people with superpowers and the like... think Twilight, X-men, Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Plot is the series of events or action within a work. Everything has a plot... even your day. There are five main areas of the plot that we chart out on the plot graph in order to analyze and evaluate a work. Keep in mind that you may have more than one plot line; this is generally called a parallel plot line (when you have two plot lines running side by side simultaneously). The five main areas are the exposition (introduction), rising action, climax, falling action and denouement (resolution/conclusion). The last is pronounced day-new-maw (as in maw and paw). Exposition --> (introduction) this is the point at which the reader meets the characters, receives any important background information, and learns about the setting Rising Action --> as the reader develops a relationship with the characters by learning more about them, the problem creeps in at this stage Climax --> also known as the turning point, this is the point at which the character has seen the problem and must make a decision or take action thus changing the course of events and steering the characters towards the conclusion Falling Action --> this is when the action begins to fall away and things begin to wrap up... the character reflects upon his decision or action and determines whether or not the decision/action was beneficial or a hindrance Denouement --> this is the conclusion of the story... the action is wrapped up and/or a cliffhanger is left for the next segment... this is where the loose ends are tied together
Characterization: Characterization is the treatment and development of the characters by the author. There are different types of characters. On the most basic level, there are round or dynamic characters; these characters undergo a change throughout the story. There are also flat or static characters; these characters stay the same throughout the story (they might start evil and end evil or something similar). There isinternal characterization... where we learn about the thoughts of the characters, and external characterization where we view them through their actions (and the ways in which other characters see them). Now the final things to consider are whether the author is portraying the characters directly or indirectly. Direct characterization is when the author tells us or shows us (directly) what a character is like. Indirect characterization is when the author gives us clues or hints as to what a character is like and we learn him or her in little snippets and can only really form strong opinions about the character as we get deeper into the story.